NOJOMO 9 in Book Eleven: Whatever Will Be Will Be 2024

Prompt: Pretend you’re a critic and review a book or movie of your choice.

Heh! When I was 14, my entrepreneurial aunt wanted to really encourage me to look into what it meant to “work for yourself” and took me through all of the steps of creating a business (plus professional business cards and everything!) and at the time I figured… okay, acting isn’t a good fit for this project… what about Freelance Movie Critic? Tragically, the sole movie that I was able to review in this fashion was Wild Wild West… partly because they were hoping to get me in a GOTCHA Moment where they could reveal “Children trying to be critics will always be worthless and stupid because they lack perspective!” I did not. I was able to weave in some “While the television show upon which this film is based” lines. But the film itself was not a send-up, an homage, or winking nod to the original product. This was… arguably, as generic a cash grab as you can get. At the same time? It is an almost perfect example of the kind of “Popcorn Schlock” that defined Late 90’s Summer Blockbuster. I find it quite enjoyable and ironic that Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in order to release this film. Partially because I believe both films are perfect time capsules. Wild Wild West was an almost lazy attempt to throw together something flashy with almost zero substance. A “tent pole” before that word was co-opted into the sprawling cinematic franchise world in which we currently find ourselves. A film to possibly sell toys or fast food; a music video that was sure to get heavy play on MTV’s summer programming. A movie that teenagers could get into but wouldn’t exactly miss anything if they spent most of it making out. And on the other side, The Matrix standing in stark contrast. A deeply authentic attempt at philosophical, sci-fi action that redefined genre, special effects, and mass-appeal storytelling. Sure there have always been wild, weird, philosophical stories… but Pi would never have reached the likes of The Matrix. No “oddball film” including philosophy and arguments over existence had ever seen the reach of The Matrix. A film expected to be some kind of sleeper, easily ignored film more like Dark City the year before. By placing Wild Wild West and The Matrix next to each other culturally… we see what WAS… what existed, what was expected, what middle of the road goals were… and WHAT COULD BE… what kind of visuals we could innovate, what we didn’t know was coming, what a risky venture could really achieve.

Clearly, the film industry learned nothing. There were many attempts to chase what The Matrix really was but there was never really anything that stood out as definitively “THE NEXT MATRIX” (including its sequels.) Which is one of the reasons I honestly liked what The Matrix 4 was trying to say. The film was a bit meta for a general audience; but the idea that “all that exists is your next success… or your next failure” hit home, I thought. Instead, we’ve seen (arguably) the Wild Wild West versus The Matrix as film philosophy continue to play out. Marvel Movies become the next cultural touchstone, so we take Marvel Properties and twist them, torture them, pick them apart enough that instead of five or six solid movies and two or three long-running tv shows.... we over dilute. We start getting lazy. There may never truly be another MATRIX like the first in 1999. And studios are trying to be far less obvious about their New Millennium cash grabs, so something as honest as Wild Wild West may not be soon in coming. But… seriously? Mix the two films spiritually. Take what Wild Wild West is… and take what The Matrix is… by combining them… am I the only one that clearly sees how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is born from that combination? Trying to make dumber movies that play with genre, trying to make more explosive films with at least some kind of message...... am I crazy to think Wild Wild West + The Matrix = Captain America: The Winter Soldier?

Today is weird. Woke up. Didn’t do much. I was thinking about Hermia, of course. Because… it really is a significant change. Someone in your life to not. It is a change!
Mom texted me. You might remember that Hermia was going to stay with them this coming week. Hermia essentially said, “Brad and I loved you and we’re happy to have you in our lives. Chris broke up with me so I’m not exactly sure it would be okay to still see you. It just happened last night, I haven’t even told Brad yet.” And Mom responded with “We loved you two too. We would still be happy to see you, but understand if that would be too hard for you.”

And sometimes I think about it. Like “How bad was it being told what and how to do all the time?” But then I think immediately: whenever I wanted my own way for any reason, we would have a fight. That isn’t fair, healthy, or acceptable.
I hate that I hurt her.
I hate that it didn’t work out.
But it didn’t work out.
And I can’t torture myself over it.
I certainly don’t see myself getting an opportunity like that again any time soon but… upwards and onwards… always.